


senior prom

by hyacinthis



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Arguing, Awkward Crush, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Crushes, F/M, First Crush, Gen, Prom, Sal and Larry are brothers, Step-siblings, Teen Crush, everything is strictly platonic between them, sibling argument
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 18:51:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17566031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyacinthis/pseuds/hyacinthis
Summary: “There’s just—!” Sal drops his hands to his sides and stares up at the ceiling for a second, catching his breath. “There’s more cons than there are pros.” He sighs.Larry stares at him for a second. He holds out his arm and Sal, begrudgingly, takes his hand with a sigh. He pushes his bangs from his eyes, continuing to stare up at the ceiling. He sighs heavily through his prosthetic and Larry gently rubs his hand with his thumb.“Bud, it’s just prom.” Larry says.





	senior prom

**Author's Note:**

> this might be a little sloppy bc i’m literally abt to walk into work

When Ash asked Sal to prom, Sal was very taken aback. He supposed he should’ve known his friends were expecting him to go. It was their senior year, it was their last prom and the only one Sal was ever going to go to, if he even decided to go. So he stood there, in the hall, bag on his shoulder and books in his arms, staring at her like a deer in headlights. After he didn’t answer after a minute or two, she had cleared her throat and asked again. To which Sal responded with a nervous, shaky:

“Uh… Let me get back to you on that.”

Sal had never even been to a dance, let alone something like _prom_. If he knew anything about public school, it was that prom was a _big deal_. And why would anyone want him at something that was a _big deal_? Why would _Ashley_ want him at something like that? He’d be too afraid of ruining the night. Paranoid about accidentally making all of it terrible. Besides, didn’t prom cost money? Sal didn’t have a lot of that.

He and Larry walk home in silence that day, Sal clutching his bag to his back and Larry lazily blowing out puffs of smoke from the cigarette he was nursing. Despite how many times he offers it to Sal, the younger teen always politely declines, reminding Larry that his family has a history with addiction. They’re almost to the apartments when Larry flicks his cigarette butt to the ground, stomps it out, then turns to Sal.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today.” Larry says.

“Yeah,” Sal shrugs. “Just thinkin’ about stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah, stuff.”

Larry stares at him, shoving his hands in his pockets. He blinks at him, narrowing his brown eyes. Sal knows he’s trying to figure out what’s wrong and soon he’s going to start guessing.

“It’s not a big deal, don’t worry.” Sal says, pushing some hair behind his ear.

“Your grades are slipping.” Larry guesses.

“No.”

“You have a job interview coming up.”

“No.”

“You’re planning some sort of surprise for me.”

“What? No.”

“Hmm… You’re stressing about how close graduation is again.”

“No.”

“You’re stressing about _college_.”

“Nope.”

“Finals?”

“Uh uh.”

“Scholarship applications? Moving out? Something’s going on with your dad? Does Gizmo need another bath, is that what you’re thinking about?”

“No, no, no, and no. He’s a clean boy.”

“A good boy.” Larry nods.

“A good, clean boy.” 

Larry kicks a rock in front of him as they continue to walk. Sal stretches his arms above his head, his black sweatshirt riding up a little bit, exposing some of his torso. Larry looks back over at him, thick brows furrowed as he continues to try and analyze his friend.

“Okay, so what _is_ up?”

“Seriously, Larry, it’s not a big deal.” Sal says quickly.

“Do you not want to talk to me about it?”

“No, it’s not that, I just…” Sal runs a hand through one of his pigtails. He needs to wash it again soon. “I’m still thinking about it. I’m processing it, if you will.”

“Are you gonna tell me when you finish ‘processing’ it?” He puts finger quotes around ‘processing’. 

“I dunno, maybe.”

They spend the rest of their walk home talking about upcoming assignments and, of course, the end of school all together. They decide to hang out at Sal’s place instead of Larry’s, a change in scenery occasionally needed. They both go to the kitchen to grab some snacks, then head back to Sal’s room. Sal pauses on the way there to swing by his dad’s room and give him a kiss on the cheek through his prosthetic.

Sal shuts the door once they’re both in his room and both of them lay back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He listens to Larry open a bag of chips as his mind continues to race at a million miles per second. Prom. He’s seriously been asked to prom. It’s not a joke, it’s not some cruel prank. He’s seriously, _actually_ been asked to prom. By _Ashley_ no less! 

“Have you ever gone to a school dance?” Sal asks. It’s too much, he can’t keep it in.

“What?”

“Have you ever been to a school dance?”

“A couple of times. I’ve gone to a couple of homecomings and one or two winter balls. That’s about it. Why?”

“Just curious.”

Larry props himself up slightly, looking over at Sal. He stares at Sal with a grin and Sal continues to stare up at the ceiling, ignoring the look he’s giving him. Larry shifts closer and nudges him, grin still everpresent. Sal shifts away from him, inching closer towards the edge of the bed.

“Who’re you planning on asking?” Larry pries.

“I’m not planning on asking anyone.”

“Oh, so you’re just going to go to prom by yourself?”

“I never said I was going in the first place!” Sal answers defensively.

“Well, if you were, you wouldn’t be asking me shit like this.”

“Larry, I just need a gauge for what school dances are like. I’ve never been to one in my life.”

“Wait, did someone ask _you_?” 

“No!”

“Yes, someone did! Who was it?”

“Nobody asked me, Larry.”

“Your ears are red, you’re blushing. Someone asked you, didn’t they?” He grins.

Sal yanks his hair down from their pigtails then rolls onto his side, back facing Larry. Larry crosses his arms and lets out a frustrated huff. He lays back down on his back and stares up at the ceiling, popping a few chips into his mouth. Sal mindlessly plays with a few locks of his hair, running his nails through it. He doesn’t know why he’s as nervous as he is. It’s just a stupid dance. And it’s just Ash. Just sweet… Funny… Caring… Beautiful Ash. 

Sal shakes his head then rolls back onto his back. Larry glances over at him then rolls onto his side to face him. Sal, yet again, ignores him.

“Do you not want to go?”

“I mean…” Sal sighs, closing his eyes. “Not particularly.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve never been to a school dance in my life!” He says, throwing his hands into the air. He pushes himself up off the bed and starts to pace around his room, pulling on the ends of his hair. “I wouldn’t know what to do, I wouldn’t know what to wear, I don’t even have a car to drive her there!”

“ _Her?_ ”

“People usually take pictures before school dances and I do _not_ want to take pictures, I don’t know how to dance, I can’t even function at parties let alone a school dance! I’d just stand there and look stupid!”

“Sal, who asked you?”

“And when I walk in everybody is going to stop and stare at me and my _fucking_ prosthetic!” Larry can hear his breathing getting labored. “I don’t want to go and have everyone stare at me! And what if I actually have a good time and then my mask falls off or some shit!”

“Sal—”

“Would we have to go to dinner first? I don’t have money for dinner, I don’t even have money for tickets! And I don’t know how to coordinate outfits, I’d probably show up in a sweatshirt and some goddamn skinny jeans! I don’t know how to dress nice, the only time I dressed nice was for my mom’s fucking funeral and I was _three_! Someone else dressed me!”

“Dude—”

“There’s just—!” Sal drops his hands to his sides and stares up at the ceiling for a second, catching his breath. “There’s more cons than there are pros.” He sighs.

Larry stares at him for a second. He holds out his arm and Sal, begrudgingly, takes his hand with a sigh. He pushes his bangs from his eyes, continuing to stare up at the ceiling. He sighs heavily through his prosthetic and Larry gently rubs his hand with his thumb.

“Bud, it’s just prom.” Larry says.

“I know but,” he shrugs. “It seems like it’s a big deal to Ash and I don’t want to let her down by not going but… I just don’t think I’d have fun.”

“Ash asked you?” Sal nods. “Well, you’re going with Ash and I’m going to be there and so are Todd and Neil. We’ve got you covered.”

“They’re just not really my scene… I’d rather go to Ash’s house and watch shitty movies or something. I’m not good with big crowds of people anyways.”

“You went to a concert, what’s the difference?”

“Well… I didn’t know anyone except for you at that concert… I didn’t have to worry about anyone looking at me weirdly or whispering about me or shit like that.”

“Alright, you make a good point.” Larry nods. “But, dude, you’d have so much fun. We can all go to waffle house afterwards and I’m sure Todd can drive. Nobody has to take any pictures unless we want to, we won’t let anyone say anything about your prosthetic.”

“I just don’t think I’m going to go.” Sal says, letting go of Larry’s hand and sitting down. 

“No, don’t say that.”

“I just can’t see myself having any fun.”

“C’mon, we won’t have any fun without you.”

“Yeah you will. And you guys can just tell me about it the next day.”

“Well then, I’m not going to prom either.”

Sal looks over at him and sighs deeply. He pulls his legs up to his chest and kicks his shoes off, looking down at his socked feet. Larry stares at him then rolls his eyes.

“And neither will Todd. Or Neil. Or Ash.”

“Yes they will.”

“No, we won’t!” Larry answers. “Sal, it wouldn’t be prom without you.”

“Yes it would.”

“Okay, maybe it would. But it wouldn’t be as fun without you.”

Sal doesn’t listen to him, just continues to stare down at his feet. When he’s made up his mind on something, he’s usually hellbent about it. Larry hates that, but it’s not like he can change it.

“I’ll pay for your ticket.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I won’t let you.” Sal says. Larry nudges Sal’s shoulder. “No, Larry, seriously. You and your mom paid for me to go to that concert with you, I’m not going to let you pay for prom.”

“Okay, then what are you going to tell Ash?”

Sal glares at Larry before he presses his face into his legs.

“The truth.”

“That you don’t want to go.”

“Yeah, she’ll understand.”

Larry stares at him again before reaching over and thumping the side of his head. Sal looks over at him, face still pressed into his knees. Larry rolls his eyes, laying next to Sal and looking up at him.

“What do I have to do to convince you that prom will be fun?”

“You can’t.”

“I can.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Sal, seriously, I swear—”

Both of them are interrupted by the sound of Sal’s phone buzzing on the bed next to them. Sal lays back and picks it up, flipping it open and frowning behind his prosthetic. Larry watches over his shoulder, subtly trying to glimpse of who he’s texting, but Sal notices and scoots away.

“Who is it?” Larry asks.

“Ash.” Sal answers.

“What’s she up to?”

“Talking to me about prom.”

That’s all Larry needs to hear before he’s diving over to Sal’s phone. He snatches it from his hand and briefly reads through the text and he draft that Sal has written before he quickly starts to erase the message.

“Larry!” Sal snaps, watching him climb off of the bed. “Give it back!”

He doesn’t answer, just continues to type quickly. He climbs off of the bed and stands up, backing up towards one of the walls as his eyes stay locked on the phone. Sal stands up and walks over to him, reaching to grab his phone back. Larry holds it up above both of their heads, proof reading the message as Sal jumps to try and get his phone.

“Give it to me!”

“Just a second.”

“No, Larry, give it back!”

“If you want it back, come up here and get it.”

Sal grabs onto one of Larry’s arms and tears it away from the phone. Larry almost drops it but manages to catch it with his free hand before Sal does. Sal grabs onto his other arm but Larry continues to type, acting as if Sal doesn’t way anymore than a couple of grapes.

“Larry!”

“What?” He asks nonchalantly as Sal practically climbs him.

“Give me the phone!”

“Fine!”

Larry hands it back down to Sal and Sal looks down at it. His eyes widen and his blood runs cold for a second. He looks up at Larry, then back down at the texts, then up at Larry again. They both stare at each other in heavy silence for a second before Sal’s phone buzzes in his hand. Both of them direct their attention down to it. 

Ash texts back.

“I hate you.” Sal says, looking back up at Larry.

“No, you don’t.” Larry answers.

“You’re right, and I hate you for that too.”

Larry can’t help but smile as he walks back over to the bed and sits down. Sal continues to stare down at his phone, reading Ashley’s texts a million times through his mind over and over. Goddammit. _Goddammit_ now he can’t back out.

“I don’t know why you’re mad.” Larry smirks. “I just scored you a prom date.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Sal says, snapping his phone closed as he walks over to the bed. 

He climbs onto the bed and sits next to Larry for a moment before punching him once in the side. Larry winces and lets out a noise of discomfort, but otherwise doesn’t respond.

“You deserved that.” Sal says and Larry can tell from the tone of his voice that he’s pouting.

“You’re right, I did.”

They both lay next to each other, staring up at the ceiling. Sal simultaneously feeling excited for prom and dreading it all at the same time. They’re both pulled from their thoughts as Sal’s phone buzzes again. Sal throws Larry a sharp glare before picking up his phone and opening it. He reads through the most recent text a couple of times before laying the phone down on his chest.

“What’s up?” Larry asks.

“She’s talking about outfits.”

“Color scheme?”

“Yeah. She wants to do black and purple.” Sal says, staring at the ceiling. “I don’t even own a tux.”

Larry sighs before rolling on his side to face Sal, getting a better look at him. He puts a hand on his shoulder and Sal looks over at him, still looking mildly annoyed with him.

“Tell you what,” Larry says. “Since I just signed you up for prom, tomorrow we can go thrift shopping and I’ll buy you an outfit.”

“No, Larry, it’s fine.”

“You can’t say no to this.” He says. “I’m going to buy you an outfit for prom whether you want me to or not.”

Sal sighs, throwing his arms over his face. He groans loudly and Larry laughs a little. Sal reaches over and smacks the side of his head, causing Larry to laugh a little louder.

“ _Fine!_ ” He exclaims. “You can buy me a fucking outfit, but nothing else! Okay?”

“Sounds like a deal.”

Sal picks his phone back up and texts Ashley his response:

_Sounds cool 2 me. I’ll go looking for stuff 2morrow_

To which Ashley responds:

_sweet! excited 2 see what u pick, u cool cat_

Then:

_:* <3_

“ _Oooh_ , kissy face.” Larry remarks. Sal snaps his phone shut.

“Larry, shut the fuck up.”

The both of them are interrupted as Sal’s dad knocks on the door, then pokes his head in. Gizmo pushes his way through Henry then hops up onto the bed with Sal and Larry. 

“What’re you boys up to?” He asks.

“Sal’s going to prom!” Larry remarks proudly. Henry blinks, thrown off, but then smiles.

“Wow, Sal. Are you really?”

“Yes.” Sal sighs.

“Good, I’m glad to see you attending school functions. It’s good for you to get out and about.”

“I said the same thing, Mr. Fisher.” Larry smiles. Henry laughs a little then shakes his head, stepping into the room a bit more.

“Well, I’m about to take Lisa out to dinner. I’ve got to shower and then I’m gonna take off. Do you boys want to come?”

“Where would we be going?” Sal asks.

“Not sure yet,” Henry shrugs. “We were gonna play it by ear.”

“I’m game.” Larry says.

“Sure, me too.” Sal says. 

Henry smiles. He walks over towards the bed and crawls onto it, pressing a kiss to Sal’s forehead through the prosthetic. He ruffles Larry’s hair affectionately before walking back towards the door.

“Glad you boys decided to go. We always love having you around.” He rocks on the balls of his feet for a moment before patting Sal’s leg. “Well, I’m going to go shower. If you want to change clothes, now is the time.”

“Sure thing, dad.”

He walks back out of the room, closing the door behind him. Gizmo rubs himself against Sal’s side, demanding attention. Sal scratches behind his ear then looks over at Larry. Larry sits with a grin on his face and Sal shakes his head.

“What?” Larry asks.

“Nothing,” Sal says, smiling to himself. “You just really drive me fucking crazy sometimes.”

**Author's Note:**

> might write a follow up to this abt the gang actually going to prom, i’m not sure. y’all lmk if i should or shouldn’t in the comments and be sure to let me know what you thought of this!!


End file.
